The Nainital winter carnival began here in the lake city with a display of the cultural wealth of Uttarakhand and various other Indian States with tableaux and performers entertaining visitors here on Sunday. The State Finance Minister and Haldwani MlA Indira Hridayesh formally inaugurated the Nainital winter carnival along with Uttarakhand Mahila Congress president and MlA Sarita Arya, Nainital district magistrate Deepak Rawat and district’s senior superintendent of police Janmejay Khanduri.
The inaugural day of the Nainital winter carnival was marked by performances including that of the Cholia dance, the Army band, PAC band and SDRF team along with depictions of the Nanda Raj Jat Yatra, Rajasthani folk dance, Naga dance, Bagwal Mela, Aipan, bands of schools and a total of 27 tableaux depicting issues related to the forests and environment. The band from the Kumaon Regiment centre at Ranikhet enthralled the visitors with their rendition of popular song Bedu Pako… and other numbers. The tableaux and inaugural procession of the winter carnival was taken out from Tallital to Mall Road and then to Mallital ground. The occasion was also marked by boats forming patterns on the Naini lake to attract the attention of visitors.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh also greeted the people on the coming occasssions of Christmas and New year. She said that the Nainital carnival was a platform not only for eliciting focus on the rich cultural wealth of the state but also to provide a futher boost to tourist in the State. She further said that the State Government is organising similar celebrations in different places across the state with the aim of facilitating the preservation of the native culture of Uttarakhand on the one hand and also facilitating a rise in tourist traffic which would boost income generation in the state on the other hand.
Expressing her views Nainital MlA Sarita Arya said that along with the Mussoorie winterline carnival, the Nainital winter carnival was also aimed at facilitating the preservation of the state’s native culture and boosting the tourism activities.